erked to a halt

pulling the brim of her black baseball cap down low over her eyes. She paid in cash, turned her back t

t hard to breathe. She found the discreet, resident-only side door. Her

it against

green. The heavy magn

ed inside. The hallway was dimly li

id shut. The elevator shot upward with a sickening speed that made her stomach cramp viole

dark foyer. She swiped the card one more t

epped

eked of Bvlgari perfume. Zara's signature scent. Acid burned

. She turned on her phone's flashlight, keeping the beam pointed at the floor. The living room w

ver the armrest, was a pie

ight her nails dug into her palms through the gloves. She wanted to scream. S

base of the massive crystal chandelier hanging in the center

t. She forced the tiny device inside. The sharp edge of the metal

dark. It hovered, about to fall strai

, and caught the blood drop mid-air. She wrapped the tissue tightly around her bleeding finger

d checked the feed. A crystal-clear, wide-an

a battlefield. The king-sized bed was a tangled mess of sheets. Used condoms

a-the one with the audio bug-behind the eye of a

io feed when a sharp ding ec

elevator h

her phone flashlight instantly. She darted across the room and shoved herself into the massive

ined loudly. The clack of high heels echoed on the hardwood f

Jeannette's face. She pressed her back against the back wall of the closet, burying her face in a row of De

were heavy. She started stripping the bed, muttering under her

uciating, a sharp tearing sensation in her muscles. She bit down on

traight toward the closet. Her hand reached out. Her fing

Her thumb hovered over the

thumb flew across her own screen, quickly dialing his secret number. A second later, a loud,

their alarms," she muttered, turning away to find the source of the noise

nd hurried out. The heavy front do

through her black hoodie, sticking to her spine. She gasped for air,

the door handle, checked the camera feeds on

t of dawn was bleeding into the New York sky. The freezing morning wind d

ding, pulled out her phone, and pressed the